It is known to provide a structure allowing terrestrial (air breathing) animals or plants to live underneath the water level of an aquarium containing aquatic (water breathing) animals or plants.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,958,593 to Hurlburt discloses a vivarium comprising at least one terrarium completely submerged in the water in an aquarium and optionally providing transparent passageways.
German Offenlegungsschrift 34 43 687 discloses the use of a bottle as an aquarium.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,204,499 to Leyva discloses a newt sanctuary including an airtight open topped receptacle of transparent material totally immersed in inverted position in the water of an aquarium spaced apart from the side walls of the aquarium with an air supply feed line established in an air bubble chamber in the receptacle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,000,118 to Merritt discloses an aquatic/terrestrial display unit providing an illusion of superimposition of aquatic and terrestrial environments employing lensing effects.
U.S. Pat. Nos. Des. 301,775 to McKeever and Des. 254,874 to Totten disclose ornamental designs for combined aquariums and terrariums.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,056,463 to Wilkins discloses an aquarium-terrarium apparatus including an inverted dome overlying a base member with the dome in operative communication with food and air supply and including a plant support stand.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,787,336 to Lineberry discloses a controlled environment habitat for aquariums comprising a transparent housing submerged in an aquarium having a forced air pump.
A problem with submerged terrariums is that, in order to house animal life, food must be provided to the terrarium at regular intervals. The apparatus of Hurlburt provides access from the bottom but requires modification to the structure of the aquarium. The apparatus of Lineberry requires that the terrarium house insects that feed on the plants in the terrarium, or that the terrarium units be removed from the aquarium for feeding.
The combined terrarium and aquarium systems described above all require the use of aquariums that are structurally modified to house an underwater terrarium or do not provide adequate access to the terrarium for feeding animal life.
Recently, soft drinks and other products have been distributed and sold in transparent plastic bottles, usually containing approximately one liter. However, these plastic bottles cannot be recycled as easily as glass bottles and do not readily break down in the environment so that they pose a substantial disposal problem.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a submerged terrarium that can be retrofitted in existing aquariums.
It is a still further object of this invention to provide such a terrarium that provides adequate access to the terrarium for the maintenance of terrestrial organisms in the terrarium.
It is a still further object of this invention to provide such an apparatus that employs plastic bottles that otherwise would not be recycled.
It is a still further object of this invention to provide such an apparatus that has improved air flow characteristics for providing fresh air to the terrestrial organisms in the submerged terrarium.
It is a still further object of this invention to provide such a terrarium that extends horizontally along a substantial portion of the bottom of an aquarium in order to provide an extended terrestrial environment.